Cortes-Acosta and Walker Headline UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas

The heavyweight bout brings together ranked contender Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Johnny Walker at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. The matchup was arranged on short notice when the scheduled headline bout featuring Sean Brady and Gabriel Bonfim was called off. The card is set to begin with preliminaries at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the main card at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount+.

Cortes-Acosta, 17-4, has lost his past two fights, against Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes. The sixth-ranked heavyweight is taking the bout after fighting three times in the preceding nine months. Walker, 23-10, is stepping up after a knockout win over Mick Parkin in his heavyweight debut last month. He accepted the main event on nine days’ notice, despite having previously expected to take more time before facing a ranked opponent.

Cortes-Acosta has questioned whether Walker’s training with Volkov will help him, while Walker has described the late opportunity as one he was eager to take. Betting odds listed Cortes-Acosta as a 230 favorite and Walker at +190. One fight prediction favors Walker by decision, while another picks Cortes-Acosta to win.

The co-main event pairs former strawweight title challengers Suarez and Jandiroba. Suarez said a win and strong performance could put her in line for a title fight against champion Mackenzie Dern. Suarez was listed as a 205 favorite, and a separate prediction also backed her to win.